


Sonic Boom Rewrite: Season 1 (Bygone Island Saga)

by SunMoonDreamer



Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Development, Dorks being bros, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Random background characters that aren't always useless?, Rewrite, probably?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23666413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunMoonDreamer/pseuds/SunMoonDreamer
Summary: Follow the adventures and shenanigans of Sonic and friends as they protect and interact with the villagers of Bygone Village, facing enemies as well as the drama of life on the island.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Episode 1: A Hero's Fans

**Author's Note:**

> First published on FF.Net but I wanted to share it here too.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> Following a battle with Dr Eggman and his latest robot, Sonic humours a couple of young fans. As he soon discovers, they are more than a little enthusiastic.

Sounds of crumpling metal and sparking circuits came from the typical peaceful coast of Bygone Island. A blue streak sped about on the sandy ground, smashing robots left and right as a red echidna, yellow fox, pink hedgehog and orange badger contributed to the battle. Typical for a Tuesday morning. Soon, the beach was littered with robot scraps and bits of debris. Smirking up at a moustached man in red, hand on the white cloth tied round his slim waist, Sonic waited for the usual line of defeat.

'Grr! I'll be back, Sonic!' growled the man. Said royal blue hedgehog merely continued to smirk lazily as the evil scientist flew back to his evil lair. The team dispersed to continue whatever they had been doing prior to the battle.

* * *

A half hour later, Sonic found himself speeding around the village out of habit. Weaving through the streets of people and leaping over the odd child or two, he ran at a steady pace. Spotting a group of kids imitating a familiar stunt, Sonic paused in his run to see what they were talking about. As he had seen, one of the boys was attempting to perform his spin attack but unfortunately could not, others laughing as the last boy of the group seemed to crudely imitate Eggman. Hearing all-too-familiar dialogue he had exchanged many a time with his enemy, Sonic was pretty sure the kids were playing pretend; one of them being him and the other being the evil scientist.

'Argh, I have been defeated again!' cried the lynx kit, pinching his nose to make himself sound like Eggman. He toppled backwards, landing with a heavy thump on the ground and Sonic couldn't help but chuckle at the display. Upon hearing his amusement, all five boys turned and stared in shock at the teen stood watching them.

'You're... Are you..?' The dull yellow kitten stammered, eyes wide with awe and disbelief.

'The one and only.' Sonic replied smoothly, smiling as the boys' faces lit up and swarmed around him. He watched as they bombarded him with questions and tugged at his wrists.

'Calm down, guys. One at a time.' He chuckled, ears twitching from the cacophony of young voices. Calming down, the group of five introduced themselves to the hero.

'I'm Rory', the orange wolf cub said, 'and these are my friends; Lennox, Swiper, Max and Patty.' Sonic watched as the kitten, weasel, lynx and lamb perked up as their names were called.

'Nice to meet you, guys. Anything you'd like to ask me?' Sonic offered, knowing they had plenty to ask. Lennox went first, his dull yellow tail twitching with excitement.

'How are you so cool?' The kitten asked with a wide smile. Sonic knew that question would pop up.

'Can't really say, to be honest. All I do is act like I usually do. If you see that as cool then, who am I to say anything?' He answered. The eyes of the children lit up once again and the brown lynx bounded up to the hedgehog.

'How did you learn to fight? Did you teach yourself?' Max asked, tail swishing and a toothy smile on his muzzle. Sonic paused, ears twitching uneasily. That was a question he didn't really want to answer lest it lead to delving into unwanted memories. But if he didn't answer, the kid'll be upset.

'No, someone else taught me. Someone I was pretty close to when I was younger.' Sonic replied wistfully, mentally sighing with relief as the boys seemed satisfied with the answer. The person, from whom he had learnt all he knew, had departed from the hedgehog's life when he was still a young kit. An accident that didn't need to happen. An accident he should've avoided. Swiper sprang from behind Max, energy coming off him in waves, snapping Sonic out of his thoughts.

'Can you show us some moves? Like your famous spin attacks?' He asked, jumping about on the spot and attempting to unsuccessfully imitate the move again. Sonic laughed lightly as the weasel pouted from where he landed on the ground, a little dirt on his muzzle.

'Alright. Watch closely now.' Stepping a little ways from the boys, Sonic prepared to show them his signature moves. Leaping up, he curled into himself, becoming a rapidly spinning blue ball before then propelling himself forwards. Sensing the approaching ground, he unfurled to land on two feet. He then followed up his mock spin attack with a series of sharp kicks, flips and twists he frequented during battle. The boys clapped, cheering loudly as the hero finished his demonstration.

Rory, awed by his idol's moves, began to talk at a seemingly break-neck pace, confusing his pack of friends. The wolf cub's gushing wasn't lost on the hedgehog, watching with amusement and following the words with ease. Being fast really helped with people like this. Almost as if he had snapped out of a trance, the orange cub planted himself firmly in front of the hero, his eyes determined.

'We want to spend the day with you.' He stated, using a tone that left no room for argument. Sonic allowed a brief look of shock to cross his face before smiling down at the boy, that kind of determination isn't common in the village and he liked the look in the kid's eyes. A future fighter, heck, maybe even a leader.

'Sure. If I can handle Eggface every week, I can handle you and your little pack.' The teen replied with a confident smirk, watching as the little boys all started cheering and bouncing about. Noticing the little lamb shyly celebrating alongside them, Sonic strolled over to the child and bent down to his level, flashing the kid a gentle smile.

'Patty, is it?', he asked softly, 'You have anything you'd like to ask?' Sonic couldn't help but smile wider as the child seemed to become flustered, woolly coat puffing up. Shifting, Patty pulled out a picture of the hedgehog and a pen, holding them towards the teen with a blush on his little cheeks.

'C-can I have your autograph, please?' He asked quietly, gazing up at the hero with hopeful eyes. Sonic obliged, signing the photograph with his usual curling handwriting and adding a little quote for the kid before handing them back. The hedgehog would be lying if he said that the smile that appeared on the lamb's face didn't make his heart warm with joy. He loved seeing people happy and smiling. And with that, the boys followed their hero as he went about his day.

Laughing as Sonic frequently had to save the same endangered baby - Chumley - from whatever new mess he found himself in, eating chilli-dogs at Meh burger, meeting the team (which lead to a brief moment of complete anarchy and chaos) and mostly messing about around the village be it simply relaxing or pulling a quick prank or two - Sonic himself didn't seem to get involved, he enjoyed watching instead. Rory and Swiper asked many times throughout the day about the many battles the teen had fought and Sonic gladly told them of several battles, both old and new. Admittedly, the more interesting ones as opposed to the small and boring ones for fairly obvious reasons. The boys wanted excitement. Tales of grandeur and awesomeness, not insignificant scuffles between both sides. As they sat on a wooden bench, he recounted a fairly old battle he had back on the Mainland; his team against a troupe of ancient mechs for a white crystal. The boys were on the edges of their seats as the tale escalated, the hero delving into the tale and recounting every memorised detail. But then, as if on cue, a loud clang of a large automaton's foot rang from nearby. Eggman was attacking again. Rolling his eyes, Sonic stood up and quickly gestured towards the bench, eyes focused firmly on the approaching threat.

'Get back.' He ordered. With little hesitation, they ducked behind the bench, peeking over the back of the long seat to see their hero staring up at the villain in the hovering aircraft. Lips pulling into a defiant smirk, Sonic shifts himself into a confident posture, hands on his hips.

'Yo, Egghead. What have ya got this time?' The teen called up, eyes bright with undisguised mirth. The hovering human ground his teeth in frustration and Sonic couldn't help but let out a low chuckle at the doctor's reaction. He had seen it numerous times but, to heck with it, the doctor's reactions are hilarious.

'It's EggMAN. I'm here to show you my latest robot. Behold, Crackerbot!' Following the direction of the man's outstretched arm, Sonic could see yet another behemoth of a machine. This one was a stainless steel grey with black joints and turquoise optics, steel hands much larger than his many other gargantuan robots. Crossing his arms, Sonic raised a brow at the villain.

'What? Is he filled with crunchy crackers?' His comment was met with soft giggles from the spectating boys. He had a reason for the thought. The robot's shape seemed attributed to that of a cracker as it was a perfect square, its face similar to a snail's in that it was perched atop the peculiar body. Maybe Egghead was hungry when he made it.

'No, the cracker part of his name refers to the sound heard when he breaks your bones.' Ah. That was a little unexpected. Sonic's ears twitched with brief unease, mildly surprised by the explanation before a smirk came to his muzzle.

'Right.' Springing into the air, he flung himself at the machine in the form of a large blue marble, crashing into the steel frame with the force of a cannonball. It stumbled a little from the impact before retaliating, swiping at the hero but missed due to Sonic's agility, the hedgehog dodging each attempt to capture him. The children cheered as they watched their hero dominate the battle effortlessly, the robot taking hit after hit from the teen. Quickly glancing over towards the boys, Sonic noticed Swiper acting oddly, Patty tugging on the weasel's shirt as if telling him 'no'. The hedgehog snapped out of his thoughts as the mech almost grabbed him, digits lightly brushing the hero's fur as the servo launched past him. Sonic shook off his brief surprise to knock the thing back, away from the children. As Sonic prepared to deal the determining blows, Swiper rushed out.

'Hey, Eggman! You're not as scary as people say you are! I bet you can't take us!' The weasel called out, a cocky smirk on the child's face. Sonic blanched at the kid's apparent recklessness, he had told them to stay back! Eggman, not willing to deal with the ego of a young child, ordered his robot to attack the weasel. His initial confidence changed to fear as Crackerbot advanced, towering above him. An elongated arm raised with a steel fist prepared to slam the child into the ground. Gritting his teeth with a huff, Sonic swooped down and snatched the kid up into his arms, leaping out of the way just as the automaton's punch created a low crater in the ground. Putting distance between them and the mech, Sonic placed the boy on his feet and flashed the kid a stern glare before speeding back into battle. I'd better end this quickly before the kid does something crazy again.

With a more rapid pace, Sonic lashed out at the robot's steel shell, kicks and spin attacks beginning to dent the sheets of metal. He wasn't about to let a child get hurt because he had decided to mess around a little. Daring to chance a glance towards Swiper, the teen mentally groaned in frustration as he saw the kid running out to join in again. Did he want to get hurt or something? His head snapped towards Crackerbot as it flung its large palm towards the boy. Using a homing spin attack, Sonic launched himself at Swiper, forcefully shoving the kid out of the way The behemoth's servo suddenly slammed into the hero's side and sharp pain shot through his body. He was flung a few feet away and landed roughly onto his back, feeling the breath forced from his lungs. Sonic lay still, winded with his eyes closed as Eggman's taunting rang out above him.

'How the mighty have fallen! Wasting your time by saving some foolish brat!' The doctor laughed, directing Crackerbot to grab the prone hero and crush his bones. Sonic stiffened as the scent of fear hit his nose, coming from the direction he had left Swiper. Sonic forced himself to relax and waited until he could sense the large robot looming over him. Just as Crackerbot was about to grab the hero, Sonic's eyes snapped open and flipped himself away from the offending servo. Taking advantage of the surprise, he leapt up and spin attacked the metallic torso. The behemoth toppled back, falling onto its behind as Sonic proceeded to smash it until its optics dulled. Deactivated. Smirking triumphantly, he stood atop the robot's quadrilateral torso.

'Looks like your Crackerbot just got shelled.' Sonic joked, laughing as he saw a vein pop out on Eggman's forehead. The doctor must have hated the egg joke. But instead of calling in more minions, the scientist merely growled in frustration as he steered his Eggmobile back towards his evil island lair.

Leaping off the scrapped thing, Sonic dusted himself off, a hand lightly rubbing his side. Just a little bruise.

'Sonic!', Rory shouted, 'That was awesome!' His eyes were alight with undisguised awe and respect. The teen chuckled, his laughter dying down as he glanced down to see Patty gazing up at him with a concerned frown, little hand patting the hero's leg.

'Are you okay?' The little lamb asked, tears pooled at the corners of his doe-like eyes. Sonic blinked softly, smiling at the boy. There's no need to cry over me, kid.

'Yeah, it's just a little bruise. I'll heal.' He assured the boy, petting him gently on the head. Looking up from the lamb, he turned to Swiper who stood a fair distance away from him and the other boys. With a soft sigh, Sonic strolled over and knelt down, face-level with the guilty-looking weasel, hand on the child's shoulder to keep him from fleeing. Swiper kept his eyes fixed on the ground, lips pursed in a straight line.

'Swiper,' Sonic called softly, 'Swiper, look at me.' Hesitating, the boy forced himself to make eye contact with his idol. Sonic felt his heart tighten as he saw the guilt in the child's eyes.

'I-I'm sorry, Sonic. I know I should have stayed with the others but I-!' Before the kid could say more, Sonic shushed him and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

'You wanted to help, I know. But maybe, wait until you're bigger and much stronger, okay?' The teen advised, flashing the child a friendly wink. Swiper stared at him, pure admiration overpowering the guilt in his eyes. Straightening up, Sonic turned to the other boys as well.

'How about I get you guys home? Your folks must be worried about where you are.' His question was met with a series of nods and he was more than happy to. Sonic watched each of their parents thank him for looking after their kids before scolding them about going off on their own without telling anyone where they went, walking them into their respective houses. Shaking his head, Sonic strolled back towards the coast, hand no longer gripping his bruised side.

What a day.


	2. Episode 2: No Chores For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> Tails is tired of doing all the chores in the house and plans to get Sonic to do his share.

Sun rays beamed in through the open window into Tails' house. An extra pillow or two was lying about on the large green couch, evidence of a sleepover the previous night. In the small kitchen adjacent to the door, the aforementioned yellow fox was making breakfast. The smell of fresh eggs and sizzling sausages wafted into the air, filling the abode with the delicious scent. As the finished food stuffs were separated onto two plates and taken to the wooden table by the couch, the wooden door opened as Sonic, the lithe blue hedgehog whom he was sidekick to, entered. He had been out for a morning run around the island. Both exchanged short pleasantries before eating their day's first meal.

'Sonic, it's your turn to do the chores.' Tails stated. The blue hedgehog tilted his head at Tails, half a sausage visible in his mouth. Chewing and swallowing it quickly, Sonic flashed Tails a nervous grin.

'Sorry, bud. I'm a little busy today. Can you do them instead?' Sonic asked apologetically. Tails' ears drooped as his face pulled into a pout, namesakes swishing with annoyance.

'Sonic, I did them yesterday and the day before that and the day before that.' He pouted. To his dismay, Sonic had gone back to devouring his breakfast. He probably hadn't heard a word Tails had said. He rolled his eyes softly before finishing his own breakfast. A soft gust of wind and a clink in the kitchen sink alerted Tails to his friend's departure.

'Later.' Sonic called, speeding out of the house. Grumbling, he took his own plate to the sink and washed it along with Sonic's. Frustration burned in Tails' mind. It was unfair! Five days a week, Sonic's here in his home and of course, he has to do all the work. He keeps saying he's busy but somehow, I doesn't believe him.

'There has to be a way to get Sonic to do his chores.' His quiet mumbling stopped as a light-bulb went off in his head. That's it! Maybe if there was a reward for doing his chores, say a chilli-dog, he'll do them. Leaving the dishes to dry on the rack, he ran out the house in search of the blue hedgehog.

* * *

'Hey, Sonic.' Tails called as he approached, observing Sonic's current situation. The cobalt hedgehog was sitting legs crossed on Knuckles' back, picking at bits on his shoes as the echidna did one-armed push-ups. Sonic perked up and grinned at Tails.

'Hey, Tails. What's up?' He asked brightly. Judging from his voice, he hadn't been all that busy. Just going around having fun. This infuriated Tails but he forced it down in favour of his plan.

'Oh, nothing. I just thought that maybe you'd like some chilli-dogs.' Tails almost smirked at the sight of Sonic's eyes brightening, the smile growing wide upon the hedgehog's face.

'Heck yeah I do. We going now?' Tails knew Sonic heavily disliked waiting, says it's too boring. The joyful anticipation in the hedgehog's eyes almost made Tails feel guilty for baiting him.

'After you've done your chores.' Tails stated flatly, watching as Sonic's bright expression soured, changing to nervousness as his smile wavered. Hopping off Knuckles onto his feet, Sonic stretched briefly.

'On second thought, I'm not that hungry. See ya Tails.' His words came out so fast Tails almost didn't catch them and before he knew it, a blue streak sped away, Knuckles still exercising and unaware of Sonic's sudden departure. Tails grumbled as he headed back to his workshop, new ideas back to his workshop, new ideas popping up in his ever-working mind.

* * *

The day went on with Tails attempting many methods in persuading Sonic to pull his share of work. He tried tricking him with false notes and disguising the chores as tasks to prove one's worthiness, it didn't work. Bribing him with more chilli-dogs or even musical instruments didn't work either. Misdirection and guilt-tripping didn't work at all as the hedgehog always seemed to find some way to distract himself from Tails. Attempting method upon method to no avail.

'No matter what I do, nothing works. Maybe I'm missing something.' mumbled Tails as he tightening a bolt on another small project he had been working on. He was interrupted when a series of loud thumps accompanied by small quakes came closer towards his workshop. Footsteps, a large mech's to be precise. He abandoned his workbench and rushed out to see Dr Eggman with another giant robot. It had a triangular torso and a cubic head, limbs stumpy in comparison to the size of its body. Its optics were the usual turquoise and a long nozzle akin to that of a vacuum cleaner's in place of a mouth.

'HA HA HA HA!' Eggman cackled before pausing, 'Wait, where's Sonic?' The mad man whipped his head from side to side, scanning for the blue hero.

'He's not here.' Tails answered dully, still annoyed with Sonic's laziness. Honestly, would it hurt him to pitch in around the house?

'I can clearly see that,' the scientist grumbled sarcastically, 'but no matter. Behold, my latest creation: Suctionator!' At least it had a somewhat accurate name. Spinning his tails rapidly, he flew up towards the robot and attacked it with a large red clamp wrench, clanging loudly against its helm. In response, the automaton fought back, clumsily missing the agile fox cub who zipped about in its view as he aimed at key weak points in its structure. A miscalculation of reaction time allowed the mech to slam Tails down towards the ground with its long nozzle. Twisting, he tried to land on his feet but did so too late, landing awkwardly on his left foot. A shrill scream rang from his throat as he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his hands around the joint, throbbing pain sending needles up his leg. It was twisted. Glancing up to see the robot, Tails squeezed his eyes shut and waited for that large servo to grasp him. A sudden loud clang made Tails' eyes snap open to see his friends pushing the robot back towards the evil doctor.

'Sonic!' He exclaimed, a smile on his face. The blue hedgehog ran towards him with an unreadable expression, ears trained on the battle behind him. Kneeling down by the cub, Sonic looked Tails in the eyes, emerald orbs bright with an emotion Tails recognised in an instant. Concern. His smile wavered and he shifted beneath the hedgehog's gaze.

'You alright, Tails?' Sonic asked, voice quivering slightly from the effort of remaining calm. Tails nodded, determined to not worry him any further.

'Just twisted my ankle.' He answered, hand rubbing the still throbbing joint. Sonic's ear twitched uneasily as he observed said ankle. Patting Tails on the shoulder, he got to his feet and sped back into battle, assaulting the robot with continuous homing attacks. Tails watched, a strangely warm feeling growing in his chest. Dents appeared all over its shell as the team lashed out at it. Suctionator then retaliated by using its long nozzle to throw the team off itself, Tails gasped as it turned its attention to Sonic. The hedgehog sat dazed from his collision with a large rock behind him as the automaton approached him. Knuckles, having snapped out of his stupor, attacked its legs in an attempt to stall its advance. The mech ignored him and lifted its nozzle, training it on the downed hedgehog. Tails felt his voice catch in his throat, feeling helpless. Sonic then burst through the metallic torso, tumbling over the sandy ground before springing up onto his feet. Sparks spilled out of the gaping hole left by the hero's spin attack, the robot swaying before toppling over onto the ground. Its head exploded shortly after, smoke rising from its non-existent neck. Eggman flew off, no doubt disgruntled by the defeat and likely grumbling about meddlesome hedgehogs. Tails breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted Sonic making his way over, Knuckles starting to drag the hulk of a machine towards the workshop. With Sonic's help, he limped back to his house and plopped himself down onto the couch.

'None of the chores have been done.' Sonic noted. Unlike usual, no red ticks were present next to any of the listed tasks. This made Tails' ears droop. Some of the chores listed were sweeping/dusting the house, washing the blankets and pillow cases as well as restocking the fridge. Earlier irritation at the subject returned to Tails as Sonic traced his finger about the small note stuck to the fridge.

'I was too caught up in trying to get you to do them for once. I was tired of having to do all the work.' Tails murmured, noticing Sonic's ears lowering before they snapped back up again.

'Well, you won't be walking for a while. Not with that ankle.' Sonic said, gesturing to the joint. Tails glanced down and noted that the throbbing had numbed slightly but still tingled painfully. His only response to the hedgehog was a subdued nod. He wasn't too upset over his injury but knew that he would be hindered by it. Unable to walk without pain or even help in battle. The sound of a broom brushing against the ground rhythmically brought him out of his thoughts. Hesitating, Tails looked up to see Sonic sweeping the floor. Is he..?

'Sonic?' He asked quietly, unsure if he was imagining what he saw. In all the time the two had been brothers, not once had Tails seen Sonic doing such mundane tasks. No. In recent memory, maybe not. But a while ago, when the team had first officially moved to Bygone Island, had he ever seen the hedgehog perform such menial actions. Sonic turned to him, face apologetic.

'Just take this as my apology. You got hurt because I didn't want to take any responsibility and...' Sonic started softly before trailing off, the guilt in his voice making it clear to Tails just where the next few words would land them. Words that Tails hated hearing but knew. Shaking his head, Tails watched as Sonic's eyes dulled and his ears began to lower. As always, he had gotten the wrong message.

'It's okay, I forgive you.' Tails murmured with a smile, opening his arms to his adoptive brother. Sonic paused briefly, he hesitated before abandoning his broom to hug Tails. Both stayed that way for a few moments before the blue hedgehog picked the broom up once again.

'So, will you be doing your chores from now on?' He asked hopefully, waiting to see if the hedgehog would object to his assumption. To his surprise, Sonic didn't and instead turned to Tails with the same soft look on his countenance.

'I can't promise but I'll try. That good enough?' Sonic asked uncertainly, ears twitching with nervousness. Tails shrugged his shoulders, playfully rolling his eyes as he shook his head.

'I can live with that.' He replied. Relieved, Sonic refocused on completing the unfinished chores. Tails sat on the couch, contently reflecting on the day's events. He may have gotten hurt but at least Sonic was there for him.


	3. Episode 3: Late Translation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> Knuckles has been annoying people lately so the gang try to help by teaching him.

All was well in Bygone Village; the sun was shining, birds were singing and the people were going about their usual business, undisturbed.

'Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me how this works?' Or not. For the duration of the morning, Knuckles had gone around shops, buying items he wanted (with whatever budget Amy was nice enough to give him). But there was one problem; he didn't know how to work any of them - the instructions looked like gibberish to him. So, he decided to ask a passing postman who had many letters to deliver.

'Just press the triangular button then swipe the screen left twice.' He said passively, looking so tired that Knuckles thought he needed another cup of coffee (well, it was Monday morning). Knuckles' brow furrowed as he stared down at the assortment of buttons on the device. Truth be told, there were only four buttons (each a different colour) with a pair on either side due to the painfully simple layout. He knew it should be easy to figure out but words can change how one does things (even if it sometimes doesn't).

'Which one's the 'tri-ang-u-lar' one?' asked Knuckles, struggling to pronounce the word. He was still unsure of what the strange word meant. Looking up, he could see semblances of annoyance making its way onto the man's face.

'That one.' Pointing to the blue button, he turned to leave as Knuckles pressed it and swiped left twice as instructed. The echidna frowned as he tried to decipher the characters on the screen. What did they say? He should ask.

'What does this say?' he asked innocently, confused when the man didn't answer, merely staring at him in extreme shock. Why would he be doing that?

'It says 'enter a password'! It's not that difficult!' the man yelled, loud and clearly angry. Knuckles brushed it off as him really needing a cup of coffee, grinning widely at the new revelation. He thanked the postman who huffed quietly before continuing his deliveries. With that, Knuckles went off to enjoy his new collection of entertainment. However, yet again, he had no clue how to use or start them. Maybe someone else can help him, someone who didn't look tired beyond heck.

'Are you serious?!' a lime wolf exclaimed, looking as shocked as the postman, when Knuckles asked him which button was the start button on his newest handheld game console. He eyed Knuckles with what can only be described as disbelief, though Knuckles couldn't imagine why. With slumped shoulders, he pointed to the thing etched boldly on the side of the device, making Knuckles' eyes brighten with realisation. That's where it was! Thanking the wolf, he strolled off with it, feeling quite happy about it. Sure, the two he had encountered this morning were less than friendly when he asked them to help but it wasn't all that bad. The day would go on as pleasantly as usual.

* * *

'You know, for such a tough guy: you're pretty dumb.' That one brutally honest comment from quite a number of people in the village stung Knuckles hard. He knew he wasn't as smart as people would like him to be but he couldn't help it. He may not understand a majority of what people say but he knew an insult when he heard one.

Sighing dejectedly, he strolled along the sandy beach until he happened across Sonic's shack. Said owner was sat on the wooden porch, absentmindedly wiping down his shoes whilst humming quietly to himself (he had probably just come back from a few laps around the island). Sonic perked up when he caught sight of him, jogging over with a bright smile. The hedgehog's countenance soured as he observed Knuckles, staring up at him with glittering eyes.

'Knux? You okay?' asked Sonic. The boy looked a lot like a lost puppy to Knuckles - a ridiculously talented and intuitive puppy but still. He felt the urge to tell Sonic everything but pushed the feeling back. That underlying softness to the confidence in the hedgehog's voice indicated concern and Knuckles held back from swallowing with unease. _He doesn't need to know._

'Yeah, just fine.' he replied, forcing a smile onto his face. Knuckles could see Sonic's ears falling back slightly as the boy pursed his lips. Those emerald orbs remained, adamantly keeping eye contact with him. Like the few times he had seen it before; they had an unusually sharp edge to them.

'I heard.' Knuckles' happy front changed to confusion. Sonic couldn't have heard about it that quickly, could he? The leader stood with feet planted firmly in the sand, waiting for a response. He was staring as though looking for something, maybe some emotion that Knuckles didn't want him to see.

'Heard what?' he asked, trying to sound as innocent as he could. Sonic raised an eyebrow. Guess he didn't buy it.

'What they said about you not being smart.' Granted, the wording was changed to sound less harsh but the point was the same. Knuckles' face fell, remembering the many times the comment had been made earlier be it in passing or directly to his face.

'They're right, though. I am dumb. If only there was a way to get smarter.' Knuckles mumbled dejectedly, gut twisting when he saw Sonic's ears drooping out of the corner of his eye, snapping up immediately after.

'Maybe Tails could help.' he suggested, giving Knuckles an encouraging smile. He wasn't sure about the idea but agreed to it; he didn't want to annoy anyone more than he needed to today (since even teaching him would no doubt be annoying). But who knows? It just might work.

* * *

Turns out, Tails wasn't working on much today and could teach Knuckles for a while. The brothers had a brief conversation before the older of the two left, still smiling. As expected, the kit decided to start by testing just how much Knuckles understood and knew. Once that was done, Tails began to try and improve on the parts of the echidna's knowledge that needed developing. At first, it seemed the session would go on without a hitch. But...

Unfortunately, that was not the case; Knuckles managed to make Tails' work-space a complete mess.

'Uugghh!' Tails exclaimed as he stomped about outside the workshop, fuming from the last trial that failed. The kit was arguably as impatient as Sonic, under certain conditions. Knuckles sighed, feeling dejected. He hadn't meant to annoy Tails as much as he did. Peering out the window at the frustrated fox, trying to remain hidden, he heard Sonic's light footsteps come closer.

'Tails? What's up, bud?' The fox paused in his stomping to address his big brother. Knuckles felt guilty as he noted Sonic's relaxed posture. He was in a good mood and the echidna didn't want to ruin his leader's day - he'd already done that to many other people today - but it's not as though he could help it.

'Knuckles! I just can't get him understand anything!' he yelled, making Sonic fold his ears back against the volume of the kit's voice. The hedgehog held his hands up in a placating manner, trying to get Tails to calm down.

'Calm down, Tails. Maybe someone else's method will work better?' Sonic asked gently. Tails stopped in his fuming and sighed, ears drooping.

I guess, not everyone learns the same way. Perhaps Amy can teach him.' Tails suggested, perking back up a little as he spoke. Sonic gave his brother a brief hug, thanking him for trying, before dashing into the workshop and leading Knuckles towards Amy's abode by the hand. The cobalt teen didn't ask any questions or pry, merely content with giving Knuckles a knowing and amused look. He was confused the whole way there. _How did he know I was watching?_

* * *

Amy agreed to help Knuckles, willing to put her latest creative project aside for the time being. Like Tails, she assessed what Knuckles lacked understanding in and moved to improve upon it but she too quickly found that this wouldn't be as easy as she had initially thought. Mirroring the young fox, the pink hedgehog found herself growing more irritated and impatient as time passed. Unlike him though, she didn't voice her frustrations.

'Amy?' Sonic's voice came from outside along with the sound of gentle knocking on the decorative door of Amy's cottage. An hour or so had passed since Sonic had left him under Amy's tuition. There was a long pause as the pink hedgehog got up and answered the door, eyes half-lidded with defeat and fatigue.

'How'd it go?' Sonic asked nervously, ears twitching uneasily as Amy sighed heavily.

'No good, he doesn't understand at all.' Amy replied, fiddling with a pink quill that framed her peachy face. The lithe leader folded his arms in thought before brightening up.

'Maybe Sticks could teach him.' He suggested, only for Amy to hold her hand up to him.

'No, she's busy today.' Amy replied. Sonic stood in thought once more, probably wondering what their team medic would be doing at this time. Knuckles didn't hear anything else the two said as he crept out through a back window and ran off. He didn't want to show his face to Sonic right now, not when the boy had been kind enough to help someone like him. He didn't want his leader to see him as a failure.

* * *

A crestfallen sigh came from Knuckles' lips as he sat, hands cupping his chin, hunched over on a large rock, the slow tides at sunset providing little comfort from his thoughts.

_'No matter how I try, I can't understand what they mean. Maybe I am just going to be dumb forever.'_ he mumbled, voice deep and forlorn. He always sounded more menacing due to his baritone voice as opposed to how he sounded around others. _No one will come here, they all think I'm hopeless anyway..._

He lifted his head briefly as the surrounding undergrowth rustled. Knuckles peered around himself, searching for signs of movement or anything. Nothing. With a sigh, he returned to his monologue.

_'Maybe I shouldn't have left...'_ Knuckles muttered, thinking back to his childhood home. He had left it when meeting Amy one fateful day, she had convinced him to join her. A few years later, they met Tails and then Sonic. But he couldn't help thinking that maybe he should have declined Amy's offer that day. Sure, he would have stayed alone but at least, no one was bothered by him.

_'Left what?.'_ A gentle and soft yet distinctly young male voice came from behind him, followed by quiet rustling and light steps. Turning to glance over his shoulder, his eyes grew wide as he saw the last person he expected to speak the tongue he thought only he knew.

_'Sonic, you...'_

_'Surprise?'_ he quipped quietly, shuffling his feet against the sand with a small smile. Knuckles gasped comically as the pieces clicked in his mind.

_'You speak the same language as me!'_ he exclaimed. Knuckles' thoughts were running through his head at a million miles a minute, questions and thoughts crashing and colliding, trying to reach a coherent line of thinking. There was someone else who spoke the same tongue as him, he wasn't the only one and that made him feel inexplicably happy. But... _'Wait, how?!'_

_'Uh...'_ , the hedgehog stammered, _'I can't say. I just can.'_ Knuckles was sure there was a reason but Sonic likely didn't know or he was keeping something from everyone. It was common for their leader to keep secrets from them but since they don't impact the way the team works, no one really pries into those secrets.

_'So... you heard me? Just now?'_ Knuckles asked, cheeks starting to burn. Sonic nodded, fixing Knuckles with a sharp stare. No backing out now. He took a deep breath. _'You know how I was with Amy and Tails before we met you?'_

Another nod.

_'Well, Amy managed to get me to leave my childhood home: a floating island.'_ He explained. _'I... I was thinking that if I stayed there and said no to her that day, things would have been better.'_

_'I'm going to stop you right there.'_ Sonic said, voice deceptively soft and level. Knuckles tensed, suddenly noting the stiffness to the short leader's posture. He wasn't shuffling in place like usual.

He stayed rooted in place as the hedgehog took a few steady paces towards him, stopping just an arm's distance from Knuckles. Sonic never once broke eye contact with him. Knuckles was unsure what to do or if he should say anything. The air was palpable with intensity - whether good or bad, he had no clue. Was Sonic angry? Did he say something to annoy his leader? Did he do something wrong? Just when he couldn't bear the silence, Sonic spoke.

_'Remember what happened a few months ago?'_ He asked and Knuckles nodded, unsure what that had to do with their current conversation. Their quest against Lyric, their first adventure as a team and afterwards, their move to Bygone Island from the Mainland. Sonic noticed his confusion. _'Remember when we faced Lyric at the Sky Citadel?'_

_'Yeah, he had you surrounded by his robots and threatened to shoot unless we handed the crystals over. But they shot you anyway.'_ Knuckles recounted, said memory replaying in his mind. The sight of the blue hedgehog surrounded by robots with a cackling snake above him. The subsequent events of the boy being shot from all angles and falling, buried by rubble. Flashes of the cobalt teen's broken and burned body, once amongst the debris and the next, cradled in Knuckles' arms as they ran. He shivered. That had been a horrible day. _'We managed to get you back here before it was too late.'_

_'And after that?'_ Sonic prompted.

_'Lyric kidnapped you before you had finished recovering. We chased after him to his lair and defeated the sentinels together.'_ Knuckles said. _'Why?'_

_'Who carried me back from the Citadel?'_

_'Uh, me?'_

_'Who tried to stop Lyric from taking me?'_

_'Me.'_ Knuckles' brow furrowed. What was with these questions?

_'Who beat Lyric's armour down to get me back?'_

_'Me.'_

_'Who carried me home and told me I did well?'_

_'Me. Why are you asking all this?'_ Knuckles snapped. Sonic didn't so much as flinch, simply smiling up at him. Then, it hit him. _'Oh...'_

Throughout the adventure, he had saved Sonic's life so many times. Back then, the loner had been too proud and reclusive to admit that he was grateful. But with each helping hand he received, that tough facade was chipped away to reveal someone they would all gladly follow, someone who they wanted to be their leader. If it hadn't been for Knuckles helping and protecting him, Sonic wouldn't have become the hedgehog he was today. Heck, he wouldn't even be alive right now.

_'Yeah.'_ Sonic said, ears on point. _'If you'd stayed on your island, I wouldn't be here.'_

Knuckles couldn't stop the smile from stretching on his face. While the method was unusual, the blue hedgehog had somehow managed to cheer him up. He was brought out of his thoughts by Sonic who looked deep in thought, brow scrunched up adorably. He perked up, having realised something.

'Oh! Now it makes sense!' Sonic exclaimed, his voice deeper with a slight rasp as he spoke English. Knuckles gave him a confused look, the cobalt teen giving him a large smile with bright eyes. He will admit, seeing his leader so childishly happy made him feel warm inside.

_'The reason why you have so much trouble learning is because your mind works best when speaking in your first language. Not English but the language we're both speaking right now.'_ Sonic explained, his voice light again. _'It also explains why you can't read any of the island's texts. But I have trouble with those too so don't feel bad about it.'_

Knuckles gave him a goofy grin, patting Sonic's head playfully, chuckling when the boy protested halfheartedly to it. The hedgehog really was like a puppy at times; adorable and perfect for cheering someone up. But he was probably the only one who thinks that.

'I think you can become smarter if taught in your home language.' Knuckles couldn't help but beam as those words left Sonic's mouth. He dared to hope.

'So... will you teach me?' Knuckles asked, a yearning and nervous hope intertwined with his voice. He knew that he probably sounded desperate but he'll take the risk. Sonic smirked, sticking out a hip with a hand placed on his white elastic-bound waist.

'Why else would I bring it up?' he retorted, the comment laced with playful teasing. Knuckles let out a brief squeal of joy, laughing as Sonic jumped from the strange sound he made. With a blink, the cobalt boy chuckled with genuine amusement.

'So, when do we start?' Knuckles asked, eyes trained on Sonic's swishing tail. It added to his viewing of Sonic as akin to a puppy.

'Why not now? There should be enough time to go over some basics before curfew.' the hedgehog suggested, eyeing the orange and purple hues of the sky and lowering sun. Sonic had a watch on his communicator, sure, but like Sticks; telling time by the position of the sun was more second nature to him.

_'Alright then, let's go!'_ he exclaimed, charging off to Sonic's shack. He could hear the leader jogging after him, soft laughter permeating the coast. The two of them spoke in both tongues as the sun shone its last rays of the day over the sandy coast of Bygone Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added some pre-story stuff, based off of Rise of Lyric because while the game was meh, the story had potential and I wanted to write my own version. Might post it sometime.


	4. Episode 4: Rules of Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> Taking care of a pet turns out to be harder than Sticks thought.

Tuesday had come again and as per usual, Eggman was assaulting the village once again with a bombardment of pretty useless robots. Sonic and cohorts were battling the evil scientist, Sticks and Tails rescuing the odd endangered villager or two. Sticks grumbled as she had to retrieve the danger-seeking walrus child known as Chumley for what was the twentieth time that week, though not as much as her leader had to but still.

'Thank you, Miss.' A cat with rosy fur murmured, giving a bright smile as Sticks set her onto the ground from the branch they had just hung from. Sticks gave her a brisk nod and turned to leave.

'Wait!' the she-cat called, making Sticks stop. 'Can you do me a little favour?'

Sticks narrowed her eyes at the feline. A favour? Did this lady not notice the damage around them? Now was not the time to be asking for anything unless it was truly important. _What's so important that you have to stop me from checking on my team?_

'Depends what it is.'

The lady clasped her hands together. eyes beginning to sparkle. That was never a good sign to Sticks. She hated it when a person's eyes sparkled in an overly happy way. To her, it just meant more disappointment when their hopes are dashed.

'Could you look after my little puppy for the next few days?' she asked with a wide smile. Sticks froze, staring at the feline in disbelief. _She wants me to what?_

'Why?' she asked, trying to keep the disdain from her voice. She also stifled the urge to growl and scurry away - Amy told her many times that it was rude to do so, much to Sticks' chagrin. The she-cat shuffled her feet and rubbed the back of her neck, eyes to the ground.

'I'm heading to Rustic Valley for a family reunion. I can't bring Pincher since my niece is allergic to his fur.' The explanation didn't make Sticks feel any better. She stared blankly at the she-cat, whose mouth twisted in a nervous smile, as she thought about the favour. She had planned to collect some more milkweed - an herb she often used to treat mainly stomach aches and sores among other ailments. Taking care of a puppy would be both troublesome and take up her time. But Sticks knew the plants would be in season for yet another week or so. There was no need to hurry.

'I could, but -!'

'Thank you so much!' the she-cat had clasped her hands over Sticks', making her jump from the contact. She felt her ears twitch. This, was not what she signed up for. 'I'll bring him over to your place tomorrow, bye!'

'Wait! I never said -!' The lady was already gone. Sticks groaned with exasperation as she trudged back towards her burrow, growling deep in her throat as she passed Knuckles - he was eyeing her with a raised brow, she noted passively. For the rest of the day, all Sticks could think about was the favour she had to do. _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

'Arf! Arf!'

Half-lidded eyes stared down at the tiny canine as it trotted beside her, both on their way towards Amy's cottage. She had woken up earlier today to find the thing sat at her front door, obviously dropped off by the she-cat as promised the day before. Sticks couldn't help but grumble at the fact that the lady didn't knock and let her know she had come by. She had not wanted to wake up to a barking pup outside her burrow. Rapping her knuckles on the door, she waited for Amy to answer. Her ears picked up the sound of footsteps and soft conversation before said pink hedgehog answered. Amy wore a stained rose red apron with flora patterns over her usual attire, purple thigh-length socks dusted with powder. From inside the cottage, Sticks could make out the warm scent of a homemade meal wafting out of the open door and windows. She looked content, expression turning to excitement when jade eyes found the pup at Sticks' heels.

'Oh, what a cute little thing.' she cooed, petting the pup. Sticks grit her teeth at the sight of a wagging tail. 'Where did you find him, Sticks?'

'I didn't.' Sticks muttered, not feeling the slightest bit happy at the prospect of spending the next few days with a creature she knew practically nothing about. 'Some lady asked me to look after it for a bit.'

'Well, it could be a good experience for you.' Amy lamented, straightening up and dusting her gloves on the apron. Some of the stains on it peeled off, dust the colour of bleached sand. 'Learning how to care for another being.'

'I'm our medic.' Sticks said flatly. There were two voices coming from inside the cottage but she couldn't quite pinpoint who they were.

'As a pet owner, I mean.' The other girl corrected. 'Sure, you know how to patch us up after a fight but do you know anything about being patient with something as adorable as a puppy?'

'It's not adorable.' She muttered under her breath. 'And I don't have time to be feeding this thing. Pretty sure, as soon as I turn my back, it'll get into all my herbs and mess 'em up. If that happens, I won't be able to heal you all.'

'Oh, don't be silly.' Amy chuckled, waving off Sticks' complaint. 'I'm sure he's too sweet to do such a thing. You're just reluctant to try something new.'

'No, I'm not.' 'Keep telling yourself that.' The pink hedgehog turned her head slightly, nose twitching. 'Looks like it's about done. Take care, Sticks.'

Before she could say another word, Amy closed her door and returned to her cooking. With a heavy sigh, she trudged back towards her burrow with the puppy in tow, grumbling quietly to herself.

'This bites.'

This was going to be a long and tedious favour.

* * *

'Yip yip! Yip!'

An hour or two had passed since she'd returned to her burrow. Sticks had dreaded the return of the incessant high pitched vocalisations produced by the thing, in the process of eating a delivered burger when it started to yell. For the love of the Ancients, can't she have her meal in peace?

'What do you want?' She grumbled at the canine. This did not seem to deter the pup as its eyes gleamed with hunger, mouth drooling. Ugh... 'You're hungry? I don't have any pup food.'

The small thing trotted up to her and swiped a paw repeatedly at her hands, large brown eyes fixed on the partially eaten food. Sticks glanced between the pup and her burger, scowl lifting. But only slightly.

'You want some of this?' She waggled the half-eaten food, receiving a rapidly wagging tail and affirmative yip. Breaking off a piece with a sigh, she held it down to the little thing. Within seconds, it snatched the food up and devoured it with gusto. Shrugging, she continued to break off parts of the burger to give to the pup, leaving her with the fries. As long as the thing wasn't yelling or messing up her home, Sticks could deal with it. Probably.

Just as she finished her meal and was about to clear up, a frantic knock came from her door. Based on how heavy the sounds were, Sticks guessed it was Knuckles. Wonder what got him so worked up? A quieter muffled voice came from outside, sounding almost exasperated. She glanced back at the pup to see it had curled up next to the table. At least it was quiet. Pulling open the wooden barrier, she was met with an uncommon sight.

A dripping wet and tired-looking Sonic was being held in a tight bridal-style hold, courtesy of a worrying Knuckles whose fur was equally as drenched. Looks like the cobalt hedgehog had almost drowned for the tenth time since they'd all met.

'Let me guess, fell in another lake?' She asked.

'I'm fine, Knux.' Sonic squirmed but Knuckles didn't pay him any attention, wholly focused on her.

'A really deep one and I think it might be one of the lakes you told us not to go near.' The echidna said, taking a tentative sniff at his cargo. The hedgehog in question tried to pull away but he was still being held like a glass ball so it didn't get him anywhere. Sticks chuckled under her breath. Sonic never was much of a touchy-feely person. Ignoring his futile struggles, she held her arms out expectantly. Knuckles wasted no time in handing the soaked hedgehog over. He was light so practically anyone on the team could lit him with ease. It definitely helped since, nine times out of ten, he wound up hurt one way or another.. Her nose wrinkled from a scent that would have sent her reeling if not for the weight in her hands. Yep, definitely shouldn't have been near that lake. 'Want me to come back later?'

'Why not come in for a bit? It won't take too long.' Sticks said, carrying her leader over towards the couch. He no longer complained but she could make out the unhappy pout on his face as she set him down. Shivers wracked his body but like always, he doesn't want to admit it. She reached over to inspect him but he let out a low hiss and drew back. Typical.

'Blue Leader, I need to know what's wrong in order to help you.' Her voice was authoritative, saved only for when dealing with stubborn teammates. Sonic just so happened to be the regular recipient. His ears fell back and the defiant gaze averted itself. Smirking, Sticks expertly brushed her hands over drenched fur in search for anything foreign, absently noting how he soon relaxed under the touch. Her nose took in the scents all over him, searching for any others besides the one she noticed first. Nothing. No leeches or anything were stuck to his fur, that's a relief. She turned to Knuckles who was still stood near the door. 'There are some towels in that basket next to my vases. Dry him for me, will ya?'

Knuckles nodded, walking over to grab them. Striding over to her makeshift kitchen, Sticks rummaged through the cupboards. As she sifted through herbs and jars, her ears picked up on the faint grunts in protest from Sonic. So stubborn.

'Say, Blue, did ya swallow any water?' She asked casually.

'Uh... Maybe a little?' He said, letting out a small cough after. This made Knuckles a little more frantic, if the faster sound of towels rubbing against fur was anything to go by.

'Aside from smelling like a wet cat and shivering like it's winter, anything else? Feel sore anywhere?'

'N-no.'

Sticks hummed, still searching for the thing she needed. Now, where was it? Aha, there it was. She pulled out a bundle of milkweed, freshly gathered the week before. He was lucky. Sticks returned to them, a long green strip that curled at the tip held in her hand. Sonic paused, eyeing it wearily.

'This'll help with the water you swallowed.' She said, tearing it into smaller and more manageable strips. Some milky white juices stuck to her hands but she could wash it off later. She offered a piece to Sonic. 'Eat it.'

To her mild surprise, he obeyed without another word. While he hissed at the taste initially, he quickly downed the rest of the milkweed. Not that he could back out, considering she and Knuckles were watching him intently. Sticks rewarded him by scratching behind his ear at the base. His reaction would always make her laugh. The way Sonic would let out a shrill whine before melting into the touch, a purring mess, will forever amuse her to no end. Knuckles chuckled at this as well.

'Stop that!' Sonic yelped, managing to pull his drooping ear away from her hand. Sticks laughed along with her red companion, laughter struggling to let up as a beige muzzle flushed beet red. He huffed, looking ever annoyed in his leader persona.

'No more diving?' Sticks asked with a smirk.

'No more diving.' He muttered, a shy smile appearing.

After some more teasing and chuckles, she bid them well and watched them jog off side by side. Her ears picked up that they weren't speaking in English but that wasn't her concern. Glancing back at the table, Sticks saw that it was still asleep. Good. Maybe she could get a nap in before it started yelling again. Climbing onto her bed, she curled lightly on her side and allowed herself to drift off.

* * *

The familiar sound of a certain vile yapping thing shattered the peace and quiet. A groan fell from her lips as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. She spotted the culprit pawing at the door. Ugh.

'Alright, alright. I'll let you go outside.' Sticks grumbled, dragging herself off the warm bed. A low yawn escaped her as she trudged to the door. Upon opening it, the pup dashed out as if its tail were on fire. That nap was nice but upon checking the clock, she realised that it had only lasted about half an hour. She stood waiting at the threshold until the pup came trotting back inside, its tail standing tall and a joyful look in his large eyes. Sticks lay herself back down onto the bed, hoping to nap some more. The thing shattered the quiet again.

'Now, what do you want? I fed you. I let you outside. What more do you want?' She growled, voice raising with each sentence. The pup's ears flatten and it quickly scrambled away from her towards the other end of the burrow. She yelled after it, chasing the canine across her living space. The pup scrambled under a low stool sandwiched between boxes of Sticks' many collections and tools. She ground her teeth.

'Come out from under there! I said, come out!' She yelled, kneeling down to try and get the infuriating pup. The blasted thing shuffled further away from her, just out of her reach. An infuriating minute or so later, Sticks huffed angrily and stormed off to seat herself down on the couch. A nap was now the last thing on her mind. She grumbled to herself, muttering about a number of her thoughts on this situation. Sticks glowered at the pup's hiding spot the whole time. After what seemed like an eternity, her train of thought went in a roundabout fashion to her problem.

_Puppies are like kids, right? Kids hate vegetables, rules and... being shouted at... Oh._ Sticks felt a twinge of guilt in her chest. She knew she had messed up. If Amy were here, the hedgehog would make her apologise to the little canine. She let out a heavy sigh as she lifted herself up again. Making her way over to the hiding place of the still shaking pup, the quiet whimpering struck a pang in her heart. Sticks got down onto her knees, placing her hands on her lap. She allowed her ears to fall back against her skull, something she'd almost never do with anything or anyone else - it showed weakness and vulnerability. But this was a puppy, not a threat.

'Look, Pincher? I'm sorry for yelling at you.' She murmured softly, using the little thing's name for the first time since the pup appeared at her door. Her nose twitched as the scent of fear from the pup seemed to decrease slightly. Good. She pressed on.

'I'm not used to taking care of a puppy. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do.' A wave of awkwardness and embarrassment washed through her, the canine still not revealing himself from his hiding place. Sticks mentally scolded herself for this but again, she pressed on. 'I'm really sorry, okay? Can you come back out so we can start over?'

Her voice almost sounded pleading by the end. Where this softness came from, she didn't have a clue. To her relief, the pup crawled out of the small space at last. He nuzzled Sticks tenderly, a soft chuckle leaving her throat.

'Good boy.' She murmured affectionately, placing her coral orange hand atop his fluffy head.

* * *

The next few days never seemed to go slowly, Pincher being a fairly adventurous pup with a thing for pranks. Sticks quickly found herself enjoying the time with him: taking him on walks, playing games and of course, messing with some people - she'll remember the look on Lady Walrus' face when the aristocrat found herself covered in paint. So priceless! For the first time in a while, she felt happy and was much more patient with the pup, no longer raising her voice. There was no need to, he wasn't an annoyance to her anymore.

When the day came to hand the pup back to the pink she-cat, his owner, Sticks felt a little upset but it couldn't be helped.

'Thank you so much, miss. Did you have fun, Pincher?' She cooed, the pup giving her a happy yip. His rapidly wagging tail assured her that he did. Before leaving, the pup hopped about Sticks and nuzzled her leg one last time before following his owner home. She smiled to herself. _Bye Pincher._

As she walked back to her burrow, her mind drifted back to what her friend had told her on the first day: _It could be a good experience for you._

_Amy was right. Maybe I should try this again someday. Maybe._


End file.
